Mobile apparatus for placing and driving marine piling or the like



Oct. 22, 1963 e. E. SUDEROW 3,107,496

MOBILE APPARATUS FOR PLACING AND DRIVING MARINE FILING OR "THE LIKE 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 28, 1958 Nb Q H H I I II I Georgp E. ,Sluderppv, aw/1M, flwgww ATTORNEYS Oct. 22, 1963 s. E. sum-mow 3,107,496

MOBILE APPARATUS FOR PLACING AND DRIVING MARINE FILING OR THE LIKE Filed Nov. 28, 1958 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Oct. 22, 1963 G E. SUDEROW 3,107,496

MOBILE APPARATUS FOR PLACING AND DRIVING MARINE FILING OR THE LIKE Filed Nov. 28, 1958 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

6302: 352 E. Suderpp,

W ug/v 414M ATTORNEYS.

Oct. 22, 1963 G. E. SUDEROW 3,107,496

MOBILE APPARATUS FOR PLACING AND DRIVING MARINE FILING OR THE LIKE Filed Nov. 28, 1958 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Geor ye-Espdenow,

BYMWQMWLMM ATTORNEYS G. E. SUDEROW 3,107,496 ARATUS FOR PLACING AND DRIVING MARINE FILING OR THE LIKE Oct. 22, 1963 MOBILE APP Filed Nov. 2a, 1958 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 ii 1 Q Geozyp E. S uderpm W h ,1 M)

ATTORNEYS Oct. 22, 1963 I G. E. SUDEROW 3,107,496 MOBILE APPARATUS FOR PLACING AND DRIVING Filed Nov. 28, 1958 MARINE PILING OR THE LIKE 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 George E-Spde n ZW p MM ATTORNEYS- INVENTOR: I

United States Patent This invention relates to mobile apparatus for placing and driving marine piling, especially hollow cylindrical piling in the form of either metal caissons or precast concrete hollow core piles.

It is an object of this invention to provide improved apparatus of the type under consideration that can be floated readily from place to place and also can be shifted readily in order to drive a line of piling.

It is another object of this invention to provide improved apparatus of the type under consideration to which hollow piling can be floated under its own buoyancy, picked up and set in driving position by the apparatus, and then driven by the latter rapidly and easily.

It is a further object of this invention to provide im proved mobile apparatus especially adapted to place and drive large marine piles, particularly hollow cylindrical piles of the order of four feet or more in diameter.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of apparatus embodying this invention and a caisson pile in position to be operated upon by the apparatus.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1, but with the apparatus being in condition for beginning to lift and place a pile.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a view of the left-hand end of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 6 is a view corresponding to FIGURE 5 but illustrating the apparatus in the process of lifting and placing a pile in position to be driven by the apparatus.

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken substantially on line 77 of FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8 is a view corresponding to FIGURE 6 but illustrating the apparatus in the process of driving a pile and also illustrating a line of piling that has been driven by the apparatus.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown apparatus embodying this invention which includes a buoyant platform 10 preferably in the nature of a barge that is fabricated of steel. Pile placing and driving apparatus embodying this invention is carried on the aft end 12 of the barge 10, and since such apparatus is quite heavy, the buoyancy of such aft end and the stability of the entire barge preferably is increased by a pair of winglike outboard pontoons 14 disposed on and secured to opposite sides of the barge at its aft end. Such pontoons 14 may be formed substantially integral with the barge 10. The barge 10 also is equipped with upstanding supporting and steadying legs 16, here shown as caissons, that are mounted for vertical movement in either direction relative to the barge in leg-guiding wells 18. Four such legs 16 are illustrated in the drawings, two being disposed adjacent the aft corners of the barge 10 just inboard of the pontoons 14, and two being disposed along the opposite sides of the barge near its bow 20. Each leg preferably is provided with means for forcefully raising and lowering the same, and such means may take the form of jacks 22 of the general type disclosed in the patent to Pointer, No. 2,775,869, or in the patent to Suderow, No. 2,822,690. By means of the jacks 22 the legs 16 can be forcefully raised or lowered relative to the barge 10.

The aft end 12 of the barge 10 is provided with a centrally-disposed slot 24 extending inwardly from the aft edge 26, and mounted on the barge deck 28 on either side of the slot are cantilever supporting structures 30 that extend outboard of the barge above water and in over hanging relation with the aft edge 26. The spacing between the structures 34) rearwardly of the edge 26 essentially constitutes an extension of the slot 24. The legguiding wells 18 at the aft end 12 of the barge may extend through the supporting structures 30 and the jacking mechanisms 22 operable on the aft legs 16 may be disposed on top of the structures. Because pile placing and driving apparatus is mounted on top of the structures 30,

- they are braced and strengthened by suitable tnlsswork (not shown). Additionally, each of the structures 30 preferably is provided with interior tanks 32 into and from which water ballast can be pumped and drained by appropriate pumping and draining mechanism (not shown).

Mounted on the supporting structures 30 on opposite sides of the slot 24 and outboard of the aft edge 26 of the barge 10 is a pair of upstanding supporting columns 34, here shown as being in the form of steel cylinders. A gallows bridge 36 extends across the slot 24 and has guide openings therethrough which slidingly receive the columns 34 so that the bridge can be moved vertically therealong. Such vertical movement preferably is effected by jacking mechanisms 38 that may be of the type disclosed in the aforementioned Pointer patent and mounted within the bridge 36 in surrounding relation with each supporting column 34. Consequently, appropriate operation of the jacking mechanisms 38 will serve to selectively and force fully raise or lower the bridge 36 on the columns 34.

Depending centrally from the bridge 36 is a cylindrical pile driving head 40 that is appropriately reinforced by radial webs 42 adjacent its upper end. The lower end of the head 40 terminates in a pile-engaging circumfer ential flange 44 provided with a peripheral depending pile-engaging collar 46, as best shown in FIGURE 4. The interior of the cylindrical head 40 is hollow and communicates at its upper end with an upwardly flaring opening 48 extending vertically through the bridge 36. The opening 48 and the interior of the cylindrical head 40 constitute a funnel through which mucking out operations can be conducted to facilitate the sinking and driving of a hollow pile.

Projecting laterally from one side of the bridge 36 is a platform 50 on which is mounted a whirler crane 52 that is adapted to be used for mucking out operations, as well as for general purposes. Secured to and depending from the bridge 36 on opposite sides of the head 40 is a pair of cables 54 that may have their lower ends provided with eyelets and constitute a lifting sling. Adjustably mounted on the opposed sides of the supporting structures 30, generally concentrically about the axis of the driving head 40, are a pair of arcuate pile guides 56 adapted to be moved into sliding engagement with a pile to provide vertical guides for the lower portions thereof during driving operations. The guides 56 may be car ried on the ends of the piston rods 58 of fluid-pressure cylinders 66 carried within the structures 30 and operable to selectively withdraw or extend the guides into engagement with a pile, as shown in FIGURE 7.

In operation of the aforedescribed apparatus, the barge 10 is towed to a pile driving location with the legs 16 held up out of engagement with the marine bottom, and preferably with the lower ends of the legs not projecting any appreciable distance below the bottom of the barge Patented Oct. 22, 1963 in order to minimize towing resistance. The bridge 36 preferably is in its lowermost position during a tow to lower the center of gravity of the entire structure. After the barge 10 has been precisely positioned at a driving location so that the driving head 40 is in vertical alignment with the spot where a pile is to be driven, the legs 16 are lowered, by appropriate operation of the jacking mechanisms 22, down into engagement with the marine bottom 62, and then forced down thereinto, as shown in FIG- URE l, by further operation of the jacking mechanisms 22. These legs 16 then serve to stabilize and hold the barge 10 rigidly in position during the operations of driving a pile, and also serve, to some extent, to counteract reaction lifting forces imposed on the barge by pile driving operations, as later explained.

After the barge 10 has been so positioned, a hollow cylindrical pile 64 of metal or concrete is floated, preferably under its own buoyancy, into a position wherein one end of the pile projects into the slot 24 in the barge, as shown in FIGURE 1. Buoyancy may be suitably imparted to a hollow pile by closing its opposite ends by removable plugs or partitions. For example, the lower end of the pile 64, if of metal, may be closed by a thin metal partition 68 (see FIGURE 5) that will be ruptured when the pile is driven. The opposite end of the pile 64 may be closed in a similar manner or by any appropriate means to prevent water entering the interior of the pile while it is being floated into position. Prior to being floated into position, or even after the pile 64 has been floated into position, a clamp-like collar 70 is detachably secured thereto, as by being bolted therearound, adjacent the upper end thereof. The collar 70 is provided with a pair of lifting trunnions 72 on opposite sides thereof.

With the bridge 36 in its lower position and the guides 56 retracted, as shown in FIGURE 1, the lower ends of the cables 54 are secured to the trunnions 72 on the collar 70. The bridge then is moved upwardly on the supporting columns 34 by operation of the jacking mechanisms 38, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 5. Upward movement of the bridge 36 is continued to lift the pile 64 into the vertical position shown in FIGURE 6, wherein the lower end of the pile is slightly off of the marine bottom 62 and the upper end of the pile is immediately beneath and aligned vertically with the pile driving head 40. In this connection, it is pointed out that the collar 70 is so located on the pile 64 (or the cables 54 are of such length) that when the pile is lifted into the position shown in FIGURE 6, its upper end will be disposed only a short distance beneath the pile driving head 40.

After the pile 64 has been lifted into the position shown in FIGURE 6, the aligning guides 56 are moved outwardly, by their cylinders 60, into slidable guiding engagement with the opposite sides of the pile 64 to insure that the latter assumes a vertical position. In the same connection, the barge may, if necessary, be tilted on the legs 16 by suitable operation of the jacks 22 in order to further insure that the pile 64 is vertical when suspended as shown in FIGURE 6. Thereupon the bridge 36 is slowly lowered by operation of the jacking mechanisms 38 to thereby lower the pile 64 down until its lower end is engaged with the marine bottom 62. The pile 64 will thereupon be held upright in this position by the pile guides 56 so that the bridge 36 can be lowered further by operation of its jacking mechanisms 38 until the pile driving head 40 engages the top of the pile 64.

At this time, or even before, ballast is pumped into the tanks 32. The jacking mechanisms 38 are then operated to forcefully move the bridge 36 down on the columns 34 to thereby exert a driving force on the pile 64, as shown in FIGURE 8. This driving force, of course, creates a reaction force on the columns 34 that tends to lift the barge 10. This reaction force is counteracted for the most part, by the weight of the barge 10 and also by the weight of the ballast that is introduced into the ballast tanks 32. The gripping action of the marine bottom 62 on the aft legs 16 of the barge 10 also serves to some extent to counteract the reaction lifting force thereon effected by the operations of driving the pile 64 by the bridge 36. Driving of the pile 64 also is greatly facilitated by mucking out operations, i.e., by digging out the marine bottom 64 within the pile, as by means of an orange peel bucket 74 lowered down through the mucking out funnel in the bridge 36 by the crane 52, as shown in FIGURE 8. Of course, the lifting collar 70 is removed from the pile 64 before it can engage the pile guides 56, also as shown in FIGURE 8.

After a pile has been driven as described above until its upper end is on a level slightly below the undersurface of the supporting structures 30, i.e., below the level deck 28 of the barge, it will be seen that the legs 16 can be pulled up by operation of all jacking mechanisms 22 until such legs clear the marine bottom 62 and then the barge 10 can be shifted sideways into position to drive another pile in a row without interference with such movement by the driven piles, as shown in FIGURE 8. In other words, it will be seen that because the supporting structures 30 overhang the aft edge 26 of the barge, as the barge 10 is shifted sideways, such structures can readily pass over the tops of piles that have been driven down below deck level.

It thus will be seen that the objects of this invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. It will be realized, however, that the foregoing specific embodiment has been shown and described only for the purpose of illustrating the principles of this invention and is subject to extensive change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Mobile apparatus for placing and driving marine piling or the like comprising: a buoyant platform body having a slot in an edge thereof; a pair of upstanding columns on said body, one on each side of said slot; a pile lifting and driving bridge mounted on said columns for vertical movement relative thereto and extending across said slot, said slot being unobstructed except by said bridge; means carried by said driving bridge over said slot for engaging the upper end of a pile positioned vertically within said slot for driving the pile into a marine bottom upon downward movement of said bridge on said columns; and power-operated means engaged with said columns and said bridge for selectively eiiecting or restraining said vertical movement in either direction.

2. The structure defined in claim 1, including a plurality of upright marine-bottom-engageable body-steadying legs mounted on the body for substantially vertical movement relative thereto, and power-operated means engaged with said legs and said body for selectively effecting or restraining said movement of said legs in either direction.

3. The structure defined in claim 1 in which the poweroperated means comprises jacking mechanism mounted on the bridge.

4. The structure defined in claim 1 including ballast tanks carried by the body adjacent the columns, whereby ballast may be employed to counteract the barge-lifting reaction force developed in driving a pile by powereffected downward movement of the bridge.

5. The structure defined in claim 1 including opposed pile guides adjustably mounted on the body on opposite sides of the slot for movement towards and away from one another.

6. The structure defined in claim 1 including supporting structure secured to the body and projecting outboard thereof on opposite sides of the slot above water and in overhanging relation to the edge and wherein the columns are mounted on said structure, whereby as the body is moved along step-by-step to successively drive piles in a row, the structure will clear the tops of driven piles.

7. The structure defined in claim 1 in which the apparatus is adapted to drive hollow piles and including a mucking out funnel extending through the bridge and terminating therebelow in a pile driving head, and a mucking crane mounted on said bridge adjacent said funnel.

8. The structure defined in claim 1 including pilelifting sling means secured to and depending from the bridge.

9. Mobile apparatus for placing and driving marine piling or the like comprising: a buoyant platform-like body; a pair of supporting structures secured to said body and extending outboard above water in overhanging relation to an edge thereof, said structures being disposed in horizontally spaced relation to define a slot therebetween; a pair of upstanding columns mounted on said structures on opposite sides of said slot; a pile lifting and driving bridge mounted on said columns for vertical movement relative thereto and extending across said slot; means carried by said driving bridge over said slot for engaging the upper end of a pile positioned vertically within said slot for driving the pile into a marine bottom upon downward movement of said bridge on said columns; and power-operated means engaged With said columns and said bridge for selectively effecting or restraining said vertical movement in either direction.

10. The structure defined in claim 9, including ballast tanks within the supporting structures, a plurality of upright marine-bottom-engageable body-steadying and sup porting legs mounted on the body adjacent the columns, and power-operated means engaged with said legs and said body for selectively effecting or restraining said movement of said legs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 184,779 Hillyer Nov. 28, 1876 449,374 Merriam Mar. 31, 1891 496,729 Fairchild May 2, 1893 983,808 Christiansen Feb. 11, 1911 987,266 Smith Mar. 21, 1911 1,829,304 Schroeder Oct. 27, 1931 1,904,079 Powell Apr. 18, 1933 2,153,557 Grenier Apr. 11, 1939 2,327,118 MacKnight Aug. 17, 1943 2,531,983 McCoy Nov. 28, 1950 2,551,375 Hayward May 1, 1951 2,592,448 McMenimen Apr. 8, 1952 2,771,747 Rechtin Nov. 27, 1956 2,775,869 Pointer Jan. 1, 1957 2,913,880 Rechtin Nov. 24, 1959 2,969,648 Rechtin Jan. 31, 1961 3,001,592 Luc-as Sept. 26, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 2,830 Great Britain Dec. 9, 1858 657,718 Great Britain of 1951 299,294 Switzerland of 1954 

1. MOBILE APPARATUS FOR PLACING AND DRIVING MARINE PILING OR THE LIKE COMPRISING: A BUOYANT PLATFORM BODY HAVING A SLOT IN AN EDGE THEREOF; A PAIR OF UPSTANDING COLUMNS ON SAID BODY, ONE ON EACH SIDE OF SAID SLOT; A PILE LIFTING AND DRIVING BRIDGE MOUNTED ON SAID COLUMNS FOR VERTICAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO AND EXTENDING ACROSS SAID SLOT, SAID SLOT BEING UNOBSTRUCTED EXCEPT BY SAID BRIDGE; MEANS CARRIED BY SAID DRIVING BRIDGE OVER SAID SLOT FOR ENGAGING THE UPPER END OF A PILE POSITIONED VERTICALLY WITHIN SAID SLOT FOR DRIVING THE PILE INTO A MARINE BOTTOM UPON DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID BRIDGE ON SAID COLUMNS; AND POWER-OPERATED MEANS ENGAGED WITH SAID COLUMNS AND SAID BRIDGE FOR SELECTIVELY EFFECTING OR RESTRAINING SAID VERTICAL MOVEMENT IN EITHER DIRECTION. 